FRIDAY’S WEATHER-TRAFFIC: Rain chances are low for the start of the weekend

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Chance for few showers, storms this afternoon

Friday will be the wettest day of the weekend, but that’s not saying much.

With only a 30% chance of rain later this afternoon, Friday should be mostly dry for North Georgia, Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brian Monahan said. Most of the region won’t need an umbrella, but Monahan said it’s a good idea to grab one on the way out the door.

“I want you to have it with you just in case, but it’s kind of one of those situations where a lot of us are going to avoid the rain,” he said. “The rain chance is on the lower side. It’s going to be pretty dry over the next few days.”

Showers are only 10% likely Saturday and Sunday, and Monday should stay mostly dry with a 20% chance of rain, according to Channel 2. That all changes Tuesday, when Tropical Storm Ida sets its sights on North Georgia.

Monahan said Ida will likely remain a tropical storm through Saturday, but once it reaches warmer waters in the central Gulf of Mexico, “it is just gonna explode.”

It is likely Ida will become “a 100 mph hurricane by Sunday, even potentially a major hurricane, making landfall on the central Gulf Coast and then making its way up and around on a track similar to Fred,” he said.

The storm could bring rain, gusty wind and severe storms to North Georgia early next week, he said. Ahead of Ida, the region will get a bit of a break.

“It’s not going to be cool, and I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s going to be dry in terms of the humidity, but you are going to notice a little drop (in humidity) as we go through the weekend,” he said. “Maybe a little more comfortable.”

Atlanta is expected to top out in the upper 80s Friday. Monahan said it will be warm and there will be a chance for storms, but it should be a pretty good night to take in a ball game at Truist Park, where the Braves play the San Francisco Giants at 7:20 p.m.

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Credit: Channel 2 Action News

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Credit: Channel 2 Action News

Traffic could pick up Friday evening ahead of the Braves game, but all metro Atlanta interstates are moving at speed-limit conditions at 6:30 a.m., according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center.

There are no major delays headed into the city Friday morning. Leading up to the game, it is likely volume will pick up on I-75 at Windy Hill Road and at the I-285/I-75 interchange around 5 p.m., the Traffic Center reported.

» For a detailed forecast, visit The Atlanta Journal-Constitution weather page.

» For updated traffic information, listen to News 95.5 and AM 750 WSB and follow @ajcwsbtraffic on Twitter.

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